This is a follow up to the ceramic vs chrome guide post.
I am building a new rod, an 8’ 4wt Loomis. I have on hand both uplocking and downlocking reel seats, Struble 25’s.
What would be your preference for such a light weight rod?
I seem to gravitate toward downlocking, but I don’t know why.
Bill
Bill,
The questions you ask are those that raise the most questions! :lol: The answer to this one is all based on opinion.
Personally I will use the up locking most times. The reel seat hanging below the reel helps to keep the reel off the ground more. I will use the down locking when I am building a long / light line weight rod such as a 9’ 4wt. It is another argument you hear all the time but I feel it balances better.
You want to hear tons of different opinions just ask about balancing an outfit!! :shock:
Dear 2dogkayak,
Why not keep it as lightweight as possible and go with sliding rings on a cork reel seat? I only have one rod with that set-up, an Orvis 1 weight, but I really like it.
Most all of my other rods are uplocking. I do have some older bamboo and fiberglass rods that are downlocking and I guess I really don’t have a preference between one of the other. I will say that some uplocking reel seats seem to have a threaded section that is far too long and it leaves a lot of rod extended past the reel seat to grab stray line. One 7’6" 4 weight that I own is particularly annoying in that respect. It has enough rod sticking out once the reel is mounted that it could just as well have a fighting butt on it. Otherwise the rod is wonderful!
Best Wishes,
Avalon 
I put a downlocker on a 8’ 4 wt. I have the same rod in a 8’ 3 wt with uplocker. I give credit to the DL reelseat for making the 4 wt seem lighter in hand. The rod feels lighter and livelier than the 3 wt. Both blanks are SCLU
What Avalon/Tim said,
This is definitely a matter of what You like and prefer on your rods…And the slide ring seat will allow you to place your reel at either of those positions, and further reduce the over all weight of the rod…
I myself despise a down locking reel seat…
I had a down locking reel seat years decades ago and found that the locking rings kept working loose. It must have been the way my pinky finger lapped onto the rings and a twisting action of my wrist?? I also like the small extension of the butt below the reel on uplocking reel seats. It takes up some of the ground contact abuse when setting the rod down on hard surfaces.
Ole
Even though they’re quite rare these days on factory rods, I prefer downlocking seats on rods 4 weight and under. I have several that fall under that catagory and like them because they seem to allow a bit more wiggle-room for the hand and they balance nicely. I’ve yet to have either DL’s or sliding bands work loose in use.
As for setting the rod or reel down on rocks, I always mange to avoid purposely doing that by using streamside vegetation or my hat to rest the rig on. I’m not keen on scratching up nickel-silver or anything else if I can help it.
Side note: I owned an Echo 5 weight Competition rod and was amazed to see it too at a down-locker. Those Rajeff boys must know something!
I like downlocking for bamboo. It balances with a lighter reel. I also have a bad habit of catching the bottom of the rod with the line with uplocking. That’s my fault though and can’t blame the design. It is one less thing to worry about though.
The only rods I own WITHOUT down-locking reel seats are a 7wt and a 8wt I use for bigger fish although I wouldn’t have a problem with a down-locker. I don’t like up-lockers; never have, never will. They catch stuff like your fly line or sleeve and I like being able to slide my hand further down the grip if I choose; like I can with a down-locker. As far as setting my rod down; I NEVER set my rod down butt first. I often times lay it across some tree branches. If I do set my rod down butt first; I’ll stick the butt of my rod in my hat; but I WON’T set it down on anything that could scratch or damage a reel.
I was fortunate enough to buy every non-custom trout rod I own except for one with a down-locking reel seat before they became almost impossible to find. I bought one rod with an up-locker that was discontinued but I spent the extra $$$ to send it back to the manufacturer and have it converted. It was the best $50 I ever spent.
I also bought three “spare” factory down-locking seats as an insurance policy against future purchases or repairs for the majority of my rods.
Let’s just say I HATE up-lockers…
I see it as a balance issue. I do prefer uplocking, but the shorter the better. I will trim inserts down if they are excessively long for my reels. But I built a heavy rod with a light reel seat once, and I hated the feel of the balance point being forward of the grip. Now, I mock things up with rubber bands using the real and seat I’m interested in using to be sure the balance will be as desired. Longer and heavier blanks might need a heavy reel or a downlock or both. I always want the lightest package so try to avoid those heavy blanks.
This is all personal preference when you come down to it. I could give you a whole list of technical reasons why I prefer downlocking over uplocking, but the true reason is that a downlocking seat makes a fly rod look like it’s supposed to. 8)
Downlocking all the way. Wish the rod manufacturers would offer this.
I don’t think it’s anything more than personal preference, but the looks of the downlocking just appeal to me more.